Bullying in Out-of-School Time

Programs: Tips for Youth-Serving

Professionals and Volunteers 

Out-of-school time programs fill the gap for

working parents and communities concerned about

how and where youth spend their free time.

Professionals and volunteers in this field cover a

diverse range of activities and organizations.

• They assist in extracurricular activities as coaches in

sports and recreation; instructors of dance, art,

and music; advisors for academic clubs; and

leaders of faith and worship groups. 

• They work part-time or full-time to teach new

knowledge and skills in after-school and tutoring

programs; computer labs; homework centers;

apprenticeships; entrepreneurial and job training;

and in experiences in camping, scouting, and

service learning. 

• Many are staff, volunteers, and youth leaders 

with large national and community-based

organizations (e.g., Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Boys

and Girls Clubs, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, 4-H

Clubs and YMCAs, along with many others) who

enhance every aspect of children’s lives—academics;

social, artistic, and athletic skills; morality; and

citizenship. 

Because of the diversity of out-of-school time

programs, it is difficult to compare or generalize the

results. What is clear, however, is that good

programs with active youth participation can

reduce delinquency and improve social and

cognitive skills of children and youth (National

Institute on Out-of-School Time, 2003; Miller, 2005). 

Bullying in out-of-school time programs

Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional

and that involves an imbalance of power or

strength. Often, it is repeated over time. Bullying

can take many forms such as hitting, punching

(physical bullying); teasing or name-calling (verbal

bullying); intimidation through gestures or social

exclusion (nonverbal bullying or emotional

bullying); and sending insulting messages by e-mail

(cyberbullying). 

Students report that most bullying happens at school,

but bullying does not stop at the end of the school

day. Children and youth are also involved in bullying

in out-of-school time programs. Although there is very

little research on bullying in these settings, a recent

national study of sixth through tenth graders in the

U.S. (Nansel et al., 2003) found that 

• Nine percent of boys and 5 percent of girls

reported that they had been bullied away from

school “sometimes” or “weekly” (compared with 16

percent of boys and 11 percent of girls who

reported being bullied at school). 

• Children who bully and who are bullied (both in

school and away from school) are more likely than

other children to be involved in fighting and carry

a weapon. In fact, 70 percent of boys and 30–40

percent of girls who were involved in bullying

outside of school on a weekly basis reported

carrying a weapon in the past month. 
These and other materials are available online at: www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov

Challenges and opportunities 

in out-of-school time programs 

Out-of-school time settings present some particular

challenges and opportunities for preventing and

addressing bullying. 

Challenges

• Bullying thrives where there is not enough

supervision. When adult staff and volunteers

supervise large numbers of youth, bullying may

go unnoticed. 

• Adults who do not interact with children regularly

(e.g., meet once or twice a week and for brief

periods) are often unfamiliar with the youths’

personalities, behavior patterns, and friendships.

This can make it difficult for adults to tell the

difference among bullying, rough play, and

conflicts between youth and to know how and

when to intervene. 

• Staff with extended-day programs may find that

bullying during the school day carries over into

before- and after-school activities. 

Opportunities

• Some children learn best from less structured, 

hands-on experiences and without the pressure

and competition typical in the classroom setting.

Out-of-school time programs can easily integrate

lessons that build self-control, confidence, and

even resilience to bullying. 

• Children usually bully peers who are their same 

age or younger. In out-of-school time settings 

that include children of different ages, younger

children may be at risk for being bullied. 

This offers an opportunity to call upon older

adolescents to mentor or protect younger 

children or others who may be particularly

vulnerable to bullying.

• Children and youth who are bullied at school can

benefit greatly from taking part in activities that

allow them to pursue their interests and discover

their talents and develop friendships with peers

who share these interests. Doing so can increase

their self-assurance and self-esteem. Children who

are bullied also may benefit from having a chance

to make friends with peers other than their

classmates. Sometimes it can be a relief for these

children to interact with peers who don’t go to

their school and who don’t view them as a victim

of bullying.

• Children and youth who bully others in school 

tend to spend time with peers who support their

bullying and who have positive attitudes toward

violence. They, too, may benefit from community

programs that separate them from their

classmates. In closely supervised and structured

settings, it is possible to challenge children who

bully to use their social skills in constructive and

appropriate ways. 

How can youth-serving professionals 

and volunteers prevent bullying? 

1. Support comprehensive bullying prevention

in schools and communities. Out-of-school

time programs are well-placed to raise awareness

about bullying and to form local coalitions to

reduce and prevent bullying. Most youth

organizations have long-standing alliances that

bring together the critical partners: children,

parents, schools, churches, businesses, and

community leaders. 

2. Create safe environments that are free 

from hostility and intimidation. Adults must

be committed to creating environments where

children and youth feel safe and cared for by

adults. 

• Learn about bullying, its warning signs, and

effects, and investigate thoroughly if you 

suspect bullying.
These and other materials are available online at: www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov

• Establish clear rules about bullying behavior in

your out-of-school time setting and continually

reinforce the message that bullying is not

acceptable behavior.

• Closely supervise children and youth in your care

and interrupt bullying whenever it occurs. Arrange

special interventions to protect children who

are bullied as well as interventions for children

who bully. Follow up to monitor the results. 

• Provide support to parents. Dispel myths about

bullying and inform parents about ways to

protect their children. Distribute fact sheets

from the Campaign to parents and direct 

them to additional resources on the Campaign’s

Web site. 

3. Encourage young people to speak out to Stop

Bullying Now! Solutions lie in defining new

roles for youth and adults in the early detection

and prevention of bullying. 

• Engage children and youth in discussions and

other activities that explore the problem of

bullying. Teach children and youth that they all

have roles to play in bullying prevention. Use

resources from the National Bullying Prevention

Campaign Web site to engage youth, perhaps

even to organize a local media campaign. 

• Encourage interested children and youth to 

take leadership roles in preventing bullying

in their schools and communities. Students may

participate on anti-bullying committees to

assess and plan bullying prevention strategies,

plan and conduct bullying prevention projects,

inform school personnel and parent/community

groups about bullying in personal testimonies,

lead discussion groups with teens and tweens

(children aged 9 through 13) about how they

can help prevent and stop bullying, and

become a mentor to younger children.

References & Resources 

McLaughlin, M. (2000). Community Counts: How youth organizations matter for youth development. Washington, DC: Public Education Network. 

Miller, B. (2003). Critical Hours. Boston, MA: Nellie Mae Foundation. 

Nansel, T.R., Overpeck, M.D., Haynie, D.L., Ruan W.J., & Scheidt, P.C. (2003). Relationships between bullying and violence among US youth.

Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, 157: 348-353. 

National Research Council and Institute of Medicine (2002). Community Programs to Promote Youth Development. Committee on CommunityLevel Programs for Youth, J.S. Eccles and J.A. Gootman, eds. Board of Children, Youth and Families, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and

Education. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. 

National Institute on Out-of-School Time. (2003). Making the Case: A Fact Sheet on Children and Youth in Out-of-School Time. Boston, MA: Center

for Research on Women at Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley College. Retrieved August 10, 2005, from www.niost.org.

The Evaluation Exchange Vol. VII, no. 2, 2001 and Vol. IX, no. 1, 2003. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Family Research Project. Retrieved August 10,

2005, from www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp.